Sermon Tone Analysis
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*Tough Love*
*Luke 6:27-36*
A reporter, interviewing an old man on his 100th birthday, asked, "What are
you most proud of?"
"Well," said the old man, pondering the question, "I don't have an enemy in the world."
"That's wonderful!" said the reporter.
"Yep," he said, "I've outlived every last one of them”
v Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have enemies
Ø We all have people that we harbor grudges toward
Ø We all have people who dislike us
Ø We all have people who we dislike
v The text before us today tackles this very subject…
Ø How to deal with your your enemies
v I’d like you to do something that is rather unorthodox
Ø Think of someone you do not like
§ Someone who has
· Mistreated you
· Spoken ill of you
· Ostracized you
v Think of that person and apply what Jesus teaches here to that person
Ø I know, we all would like to think that we do not harbor grudges
§ The Bible tells us not to
· But let’s face it, we do!
v And Jesus knows that too!
Ø So he has given us guidelines for dealing with our enemies
§ Guidelines that I describe as “Tough Love”
· A type of love that is tough to fulfill
¨ And he begins by giving us 4 Laws to help us get started
* *
*READ v. 27-28*
v First Law of Love…
v Love your enemies ~~ *The Law of our Attitude*
Ø Attitude of Love
§ How we are to approach our enemies
*Plane Attitude*
There are many dimensions that a pilot has to concern himself with when landing a plane.
But the most important is Attitude.
“Attitude" describes the plane’s relative relationship with the horizon.
In other words, whether the nose of the plane is up or down.
If their attitude isn’t aligned properly, the plane will make contact with the ground at the wrong angle and it will cause them to crash.
Pilots are always checking their attitude again and again
Ø What Jesus is telling us here is to constantly check our attitude
§ Making sure our approach to people is always one of Love?
Ø When Jesus here tells us to Love our enemies
§ He is in essence saying that we should approach everyone…
· Even our enemies…
¨ In Love
§ *Phil 2:5*
· Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus
Second Law of tough Love…
v Do good to those who hate you ~~ *The Law of our Actions*
Ø *RQ: How do we show this attitude of love toward our enemies?*
§ Through our actions
· Love is displayed by coupling our internal attitude with external actions
Ø Jesus is always demanding that those two line up in our lives
§ *Romans 10:9* states
· Trust in your heart, confess with your mouth
¨ Internal and external
§ *James 2:17*
· Faith if it is not accompanied by works is dead
¨ Internal and external
Ø William Secker
§ /To do evil for good is human corruption, to do good for good is civil retribution, to the good for evil is Christian perfection/
· Perfection comes when the internal and external are lined up
Third Law of tough Love…
Ø Bless those who curse you ~~ *The Law of our Words*
§ We are not to be a “tit for tat” people
There's an old story of a Christian who, while meditating in the countryside, noticed a scorpion struggling to get out of the swirling water of a rapid brook.
Its efforts to climb onto a rock were futile, for the water was too strong.
The Christian , taking pity on the creature, tried to help it, but the scorpion kept striking back at him.
A friend, passing by, said to the Christian, "Don't you realize that it is the nature of a scorpion to attack and sting?"
"Yes," said the Christian, "but it is my nature to save and rescue.
Why should I change my nature just because the scorpion doesn't change his?"
§ The world would say…
· Curse those who curse you
Ø But not so with us!
§ We have a new nature within us that gives us the ability to bless when we are cursed
· *2 Cor 5:16-17*
¨ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Ø Our nature now is not a “tit for tat”
§ But a “bless for curse”
Last Law of tough Love…
Ø Pray for those who mistreat you ~~ *The Law of Intercession*
§ We are to be a people who not only…
· Approach our enemies in love
· Act toward our enemies in love
· Speak to our enemies in Love
¨ But also…
· Pray for our enemies
Roy is a prison inmate who, becoming a Christian, had hard lessons to unlearn.
All his life he had been taught to hate his enemies, particularly within prison walls.
One of his most vexing enemies was Rodney, who stole his radio and headphones one day while Roy was playing volleyball in the prison yard.
It was an expensive radio, a gift from his mother.
The earphones had been a Christmas present from his sister.
Roy was angry and wanted revenge, but as he prayed about it, it seemed to him that God was testing him.
Day after day, Roy wanted to respond violently, to knock the wisecracking grin off Rodney's face, but *Luke 6:28* kept coming to mind: Paul's instruction to pray for your enemies.
After a while Roy began praying for him.
Slowly, very slowly, as Roy continued to pray, he began to look at Rodney through God's eyes and have compassion on him.
He began trusting God to accomplish something in Rodney's life.
By and by, Roy's hatred for Rodney began fading, and he found himself helping his enemy and telling him about Jesus.
Then one day, Roy saw Rodney kneeling down next to his bunk reading his Bible, and he knew that good had overcome evil!
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